Programming for Beginners Class

Whether you're looking to build web
pages or planning a career in software development, you need the
programming fundamentals that our training will give you. JavaScript is
the perfect language to learn first because it includes traditional
programming constructs, yet it is not overly complex.

JavaScript is used in the development of interactive web pages, mobile apps, server-side applications, and more.
Developers will also encounter JavaScript whenever they integrate web pages with other services such
as Google Analytics, HTML5 games, Facebook "like" and LinkedIn and twitter "follow" buttons.

By the end of our Programming class you will have
the essential knowledge and skills to begin programming in JavaScript, and will have a firm grasp of the
fundamentals to learn other programming languages.

Programming Basics

Getting a solid foundation in programming constructs is the key to
mastering any programming language. Here we lead by example,
introducing you to small programs that demonstrate each concept. Once
you feel comfortable with basic syntax, variables and strings, we show
how you can use them to construct simple alert boxes. This
training class will show you how to:

Write program instructions that work with variables, numbers and text

Add comments to your code

Gather input from a user and output a response

Create simple dialog boxes that prompt the user

Working with Variables

As in Algebra, a variable is a symbol whose value can vary or
change. We use a variable as a placeholder, and substitute real values
as our programs run. Understanding and using variables is critical in
any programming, scripting, or macro language. Once you have completed
this section of the training, you will know how to:

Define a variable in your program

Assign a value to your variable

Add a name, address, or any text to a string variable

Store numeric values in variables and perform computations

Create variables that store either "true" or "false" values

Conditional Statements, Branching & Decisions

Conditional statements allow you to tailor your program for
specific situations. For example, "only charge sales tax if my
customer lives in a certain state," or "charge my customer a specific
rate based on the state he or she lives in." Conditional statements
provide a way to make decisions and apply alternative rules in
different situations. Our JavaScript training will show you how to:

Compare two values and decide if a condition is true

Execute one or more instructions if a condition is true

Apply an alternate set of instructions if the condition is not true

Repetition & Loop Structures

Programs often perform the same calculation hundreds of times using
different data. For example, you may want to list all of the clients
in an address book and calculate how much they have spent this year.
JavaScript allows you to place a set of instructions inside a "loop,"
and gives you tools to control how many times to repeat them. This
part of our JavaScript training class will show you how to:

Create a program loop

Repeat an operation over a set of values iteratively

Set a counter to track how many times your loop has run

Defining Functions

Functions allow you to group code that performs a specific task.
For example, you can create a function that looks up the tax rate for
a given state and returns that rate. By the end of this JavaScript
training section, you will know how to:

Group instructions that perform a single task into a function

Call your function and pass it one or more variables

Return a value to your program after your function runs

Working with Objects & Methods

Object-oriented programming is a way of organizing a program by
creating self-describing objects that inherit features from more
general objects. There are many benefits to objects, and they are a
feature of most modern programming languages including Java, C++
Visual Basic, and JavaScript. Our JavaScript training will explain the
benefits, and show how to use objects already defined in browsers to
control the window and interact with your users. Specifically, you
will learn how to:

Create an object

Define methods that control the behavior of your object

Declare properties that describe an attribute, such as color or font style